A Guide to Church Recreation:

Introduction to Church Recreation

 Chapter One

Church Recreation provides the church with unique avenues of reaching people and ministering to its members.  This article will consider: the need for, and the use of, recreation in the life of a church; the unique potential, place, and purpose of recreation in a church; and the many avenues of service and support recreation provides as a church goes about implementing its functions and accomplishing its mission in the world. To be better able to relate and apply all that follows in the succeeding chapters of this book, spend a few moments reviewing briefly our conceptual understanding of the following subject areas: the church, leisure, and recreation.

 

The Church. The Bible teaches that in the beginning man was in partnership and in fellowship with God but that this unique relationship with God was severed by man's disobedience. Even so, God had a continuing desire to restore fellowship and partnership with man. The Old Testament is the awesome, sometimes fearful, but always thrilling story of God's calling forth and developing a new kind of people to effect a new beginning for humanity. In addressing himself to his chosen ones, the Jewish people:

 

• to Moses, God said, "'Now if you will obey me and keep your part of my contract with you, you shall be my own little flock from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation.  And I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God'" (Ex. 19:5-6; 29:45-46, TLB)

 

• Through Isaiah, God said, "But as for you, 0 Israel, you are mine, my chosen ones; for you are Abraham's family, and he was my friend. I have called you back from the ends of the earth and said that you must serve but me alone, for I have chosen you and will not throw you away."   "But now the Lord who created you 0 Israel, says, Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up - the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. ... Don't be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you from east and west, from north and south. I will bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the farthest comers of the earth. All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory; I created them."   "And now,' said the Lord, “the Lord who formed me from my mother's womb to serve him who commissioned me to restore to him his people Israel, who has given me the strength to perform this task and honored me for doing it!  you shall do more than restore Israel to me. I will make you a Light to the nations of the world to bring my salvation to them too."  (Isa. 41:8-10; 43:1-3, 5-7; 49:5-6).

 

• Through Amos, God said, "'Of all the peoples of the earth, I have chosen you alone.'"

            (Amos 3:2)

 

• Through Micah, God said, "For I brought you out of Egypt, and cut your chains of slavery."

(Mic. 6:4)

 

God's efforts to rebuild a partnership and to renew fellowship with man were realized in New Testament times with the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through this act he became man's new covenant relationship with God: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22).

 

As represented in the New Testament the church a congregation, a fellowship of redeemed people, a spiritual community brought into being because these same people have experienced new life in Christ.  However, a church is more than the individuals who make it up - It is “the presence of the risen Lord in the congregation, communicating himself in his word, and having fellowship with members of the congregation.”

 

Churches are established by Christ to do his work in the world.  This "work of the church" has been identified and categorized into five interdependent and interrelated functions: worship, witness, education, ministry, and application.

 

Recreation has a positive role to play in helping a church do its work. It can play a conductive role as the functions of the church find expression in the recreation activities themselves.  By providing ideas, tools, and methodologies for use by other church programs, recreation can also be seen in a role of service and support.

 

This vantage point will be discussed further to show the relationship of recreation to the functions (or the work) of the church.  However, preceding that discussion, the terms leisure and recreation should be defined and interpreted briefly.

 

Leisure and Recreation. 

 

How does one look at leisure? As free time? As a state of mind? As an opportunity? As an activity? As a creativity? As a contemplation? During leisure does one think, do, or just be? 

 

Down through the centuries leisure has been variously defined as:

• a condition or state of being
• a symbol of social status
• an instrument for social control
• freedom from the necessity of work
• free or spare time
• discretionary time
• a term used to separate or identify one class from another
• an end in itself
• a block of time.

 

Leisure Today.  All of these definitions, when applied within their culture and time frame, have meaning. However, many of their individual meanings are not appropriate when viewed against the backdrop of other culture and time frames.

 

As viewed today, leisure is a block of unoccupied time when one is free to do what he chooses. Webster defines leisure as "time free from work or duties.”  “Leisure is time beyond that which is required for existence, the things which we must do, biologically, to stay alive (that is eat, sleep, eliminate, medicate, etc.): and subsistence, the things we must do to make a living as in work, or prepare to make a living as in school." 

 

Christian Perspective of Leisure. Drawing aside the layered curtains of divergent philosophies and the centuries of cultural tradition, now look at leisure from the Christian perspective. The view will be two-dimensional: quantitative and qualitative.

 

The Quantitative view of Christian leisure deals with time. There are many kinds of time: cyclic time, rhythmic time, chronological time, natural time, historic time, free time, work time, study time, and so forth. God has purposed this to be so, for we read in Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the  heaven.”

 

Time is a Gift from God.  All of man's time is a gift from God. Time is a medium of human existence, a frame of reference, created by God. All of the Christian's lifetime is given to him as a gift. Recognition of this fact should make the Christian realize that neither work nor leisure is to be endured or wasted

 

One’s view of leisure is enhanced if he thinks of man’s lifetime as a whole rather than subdividing it into neat and measured parcels, such as, work time = eight parts subsistence to three parts existence; and leisure time = two parts recreation and one part each of study, contemplation, humanitarian service, and rest.  Information from various studies reveals that for many people this comparison is not applicable.  For teachers, doctors members of the performing arts, artist, missionaries, clergymen, statesmen, the judiciary and many others work and leisure come together in a unique life style.  For them time is not simply divided up or equated with purchasing power; it is an opportunity for continuing self-improvement, discovery, creativeness, ministry and service.

 

Robert Lee, in his book, Religion and Leisure in America, suggests that “work and leisure be viewed as a rhythm in life rather than as segments of time in which separate functions are performed.  In this understanding, giving need not be limited to work and receiving to leisure, nor serious requirements to work and fun to leisure.

 

“When we evaluate our own experience very few of us can say that we have never received anything from our work – knowledge, vision, friendship, or pleasure.  Perhaps we will find that leisure has often been most rewarding when we have taken our actions and commitments to others seriously.  This is not to say there should be no pure fun in life – even Einstein welcomed occasions of “distraction” – but it is to suggest that both in work and leisure man is called to exercise his freedom and to find his fulfillment.  Perhaps some talents will be used and developed most in work and other talents in leisure, but the fruits of each will interact if the person sees his life as a whole containing these rhythms.”

 

The Qualitative View. This leads to a second view of leisure, the qualitative view, adding to "time" the choice of "opportunity" - more specifically the choice of quality in opportunity. There is much truth in the saying, "What a person is depends upon what he does when he has nothing to do." Free choice of leisure pursuit reveals the deeper self.

 

Throughout the Bible there is expressed the belief that time has significance because of the content that fills it - not the quantity, but the quality. Thus we find recorded there both triumphs and defeats, joy and suffering, because these are the experiences that heighten life and infuse it with special meaning.

 

It has been said:

• The moral and spiritual forces of our country do not lose ground in the hours we are busy on our jobs-- their battle with time is during the time of leisure.
• The intelligent use of leisure is the final test of civilization.
• Nations as well as individuals are made or unmade by the way they use their leisure.
• Leisure is the best of all possessions.
• To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization.

 

“Have all of us, young and old alike, already fallen into the trap that being amused, being entertained, and being comfortable is preferable to physical and intellectual involvement?  To creative and cultural development?  To self-fulfillment?  Have we come a complete cycle from the old puritanical concept that having free time is not good to the point of thinking that everything and anything we do in our free time is good?  Can we not occasionally, in our leisure, soft-pedal the shallow conditions of restlessness, aimlessness, frivolity and amusement for the deeper and more lasting ones of tranquility, direction, purpose and actions of consequence? In this sense, there can be no such thing as mass leisure any more than there can be compulsory happiness."

 

Leisure Will Either Be An Asset Or A Liability, depending on how it is used. There is almost unanimous agreement among philosophers, teachers, and practitioners of the "art of leisure" that leisure should not be "just sitting around" ­idleness, daydreaming, doing nothing. They also believe that leisure's motivation should not be compulsive activity or busyness for the sake of being busy, but rather that leisure should provide an opportunity for self-discovery and for rediscovering the meaning and purpose of life. They regard leisure as an occasion for renewing the body, mind, and spirit.  A time of rest and restoration ­and an open door to the constructive use of "free time" in sharpening skills, cultivating interests, giving of self in ministry to human need and in service to mankind.

 

For The Christian, Then, Leisure Time Represents Still Another Arena of stewardship and decision making.

 

Yes, the quality of leisure experiences resides in the choice of opportunity:

 

 "He has showed you, 0 man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic. 6:8, RSV).

 

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?" (Matt. 16:25-26, RSV).

 

We turn our attention now to one segment of our leisure experience, to one frame of reference involving the consumption of leisure, RECREATION.

Recreation -

·         takes place during leisure;

·         requires freedom of choice;

·         the stack-pole of recreation;

·         always invites activity of some kind;

·         when compelled can no longer be called recreation.

 

Recreation is –

·         according to Webster is "to create anew, restore, refresh after work;”

·         a time of play;

·         universally practiced and sought;

·         serious and purposeful;

·         fantasy and reality;

·         an avenue of living which can and should lead to fuller discovery of self;

·         a positive force - important to the survival of the individual, the family, the             community, and society in general;

·         the only known way of running away from and toward life at the same time;

·         development of skill;

·         important to body function;

·         an opportunity for 'personality development and character building;

·         for the doer -  enjoyment and personal satisfaction;

·         in terms of personal involvement - voluntary;

·         an opportunity for continuing education, for participation in civic affairs, for partaking in aesthetic experience, for developing skills, and for the enjoyment of nature;

·         if undertaken for the fun and enjoyment thereof - it is truly recreation.

 

Recreation is not -

·         a matter of motions but rather emotions;

·         conducive to standardization; and has no single form, pattern, or setting.  Its content is infinite because of the varying interests, needs, and desires of people.

 

The proper use of recreation –

·         will strengthen spiritual bonds, encourage higher codes of ethics and morals, and will help heal and rehabilitate the ill and the handicapped;

·         offers for everyone a chance to live a decent, wholesome, satisfying, exciting, rewarding, and creative kind of existenance.

 

To this point in the introduction we have reviewed briefly the story of God's calling forth and developing a new kind of people to effect a new beginning for all of humanity. We have also noted how during New Testament times this fellowship of redeemed people, having experienced new life in Christ, came to be viewed wherever they existed as congregations or churches.

 

Then moving to a new frame of reference, we viewed leisure from the Christian perspective as two-dimensional: quantitative and qualitative, suggesting that all of man's time is a gift of God, and that man, through freedom of choice, can use his leisure intelligently or foolishly.

 

We then examined some of the qualities and characteristics of one of the chief methods of using leisure - RECREATION.

 

With all of this in mind we move now to discuss the potential, place, and purpose of recreation in a church. Again, the work of the church is seen as five interdependent and interrelated functions: worship, witness, education, ministry, and application.

 

• Worship is a personal encounter with God in which the Christian experiences a deepening of his faith and a strengthening of his service. Worship is central to the Christian life. It is relationship to God, a conscious entrance into his presence. It is the most direct touch that people have with God. Worship is a response to the presence of God. 
• Witness is the proclaiming of God's work of grace in Christ for all men.  New Testament churches are characterized by their proclamation that Jesus Christ is alive and the Savior of the world.  Early believers were so bold in their witnessing that they were imprisoned, tortured, persecuted, and martyred. 
• Education is to guide persons in their progressive development toward Christian maturity. This includes leading, teaching, training, and involving persons in growing toward a mature Christian faith and life. 
• Ministry is the action of a church in meeting crucial human needs in the spirit of Christ.   "Minister" and "serve" come from the same root word. Each Christian is a servant or minister. The church exists for people, those who are members of the body as well as those who live without knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Where human need exists, the church has a responsibility to minister. 
• Application.  To apply means the practical application of Christian principles in all the issues of everyday life. Christianity is word and deed, belief and behavior, faith and practice. It is possible to know the Bible and not apply it. All that God reveals through his Word is for application to life. Every conflict between right and wrong demands the application of Christian principles. 

James E. Tull, in his paper "A Theology of Leisure," suggests that "to look at life in terms of God's redemptive activity in Jesus Christ is to see this life in the light of Christian wholeness and integrity. The Christian vision sees work and leisure, prayer and play in a unifying perspective.

 

“Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth that they are “called to be God's people,” for they “belong to him in union with Christ Jesus.”  The work the Christian does and. the leisure time activities he participates in should be seen in terms of his Christian vocation. Christian vocation is the responsibility both of the individual Christian and of the church……

 

“As we enter a period of history in which leisure is both a problem and an opportunity, the Church should turn its most vigorous attention to developing this challenge." 

 

A church, recognizing its responsibility to the "whole" man - physical, social, mental, and spiritual - will include in its program a ministry of Christian recreation to help meet these needs. A church recreation ministry will then find fulfillment and will achieve its purpose as:

• a channel of service and support
• a catalyst in outreach
• a vehicle for ministry and mission action
• a tool for teaching
• an avenue to abundant living
• a channel of support and service

 

Recreation supports the ministry of the church: Recreation;

• is supportive to the life of the church in the development of koinonia, helping Christians realize anew that they belong to God and to one another.
• is supportive through an extension of Bible study through camp and retreat settings.
• complements, undergirds, and strengthens the Bible teaching program by becoming a workshop in everyday Christian living.
• is mission action in the form of recreation and other mission actions which use recreation.
• provides for leaders and members training opportunity in a retreat setting.
• is a dynamic of worship and proclamation as aspects of drama enhance communication.

 

Recreation is a catalyst in outreach:

• by using the activities of recreation in proclamation of the gospel to declare what God has done in and through Jesus Christ for the salvation of men
• to share with unbelievers the good news that God has provided redemption from sin through our Lord, Jesus Christ.
• by using the platform of recreation to reach those persons for whom recreation is the most effective means of encounter with Christ
• to introduce persons to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
• in providing a setting for cultivating the unreached and enlisting them in other church activities where the gospel will be proclaimed
• in becoming a channel for extending missionary concern and action and for ministering to human need with puppet shows and other drama forms on street corners and shopping centers
• as mobile recreation units (game wagons) circulate to community parks and playgrounds
• as day camping provides unique experiences in Bible study in the inner city or resort community

 

Recreation is a vehicle for ministry:

• when recreational skills are applied to meet needs where natural disaster or tragedy has occurred.
• when used in its therapeutic role to help the ill, the deaf, the blind, the crippled, and the mentally retarded;
• when applied to the needs of the aging;
• when used to bring joy and new hope to the underprivileged;
• when used by the missionary to extend the boundary lines of Christian compassion, service, and witness around the world.

 

Recreation is a tool for teaching:

• as it becomes a unique setting conducive to the learning experience:
• when viewed as a workshop in daily living;
• when it provides creative methodology for communicating Christian precepts;
• when it becomes for the participant a classroom implementing teaching-learning activity;
• as it stimulates a line or direction of thinking; when it facilitates learning readiness.

 

Recreation is an avenue to abundant living:

• as it opens the door to a whole new "way of life" ;
• as it provides new opportunity, challenge, and choice in the Christian's leisure;
• as it becomes a positive force in shaping personality and character;
• as it calls for high ethical and moral standards;
• as through its vast resource of activities and experiences it provides joy, fun, relaxation, fellowship, release, and restoration for mankind;
• as it provides opportunity for fellowship with our Creator.

 

 

In the next seven chapters the following ten areas of recreation programming are discussed in detail and in the context of the church:

• drama
• camping
• music in recreation
• retreats
• social recreation
• sports and games
• arts-crafts-hobbies
• physical fitness
• therapeutic recreation
• recreation for the senior adult

 

Each area is defined in its relationship to the work of a church. Hundreds of program ideas are included. Represented in these ideas are many specific examples of church recreation serving, supporting, reaching, ministering, teaching, and encouraging abundant living.


Social Recreation in the Church Recreation Program.  Parties, Banquets, Fellowships, Picnics and many other group social activities.
Parties, Banquets, Fellowships, Picnics and many other group social activities.